Improvement in treating- wood to obtain useful products



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THEODORE-SCHWARTZ, OF NEW YORK, N.

Letters Patent li a-101,320, dated March 29, 1870.

IMPROVBMEHT IN TREATING WOOD I'D OBTAIN USEFUL PRODUCTS.

The Schedule referred to in these Lefiers P8.t8I1t i-l1d making part ofthe same.

, To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE SCHWARTZ, of'thc city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented certain Improved Wood Products for Fuel andother purposes; and I do hereby declare the'following to be a full andcorrect description of the same.

. The nature of the invention consists in obtaining certain new anduseful products from wood by subjecting it to regulated heat in a closechamber, by which I efi'ect the complete expulsion of its moisture, and;the browning or darkening of its whole texture without 'charring.

I have discovered that these results occur in the new process forobtaining acetic acid, which I have. devised, in which the temperatureto which the wood is subjected is never allowed to rise to a point atwhich oa'rbonization can take place.

The said process consists in first giving to the wood such form anddimensions as may be desirable, in view of the purposes to whichitissubsequently to be applied, then expelling its moisture by subjecting itin a close chamber, to a suitable temperature for that purpose, (say,notexceeding 250 Fabrenheit,) and finally raising it. gradually to atemperature (say, not above 450 Fahrenheit) just sufiicient to developand expel acetic acid WllihOlill charring the Wood or reducing it tocharcoal.

\Vood thus treated comes from the distilling-chamber perfectly dried,llrowned throughout its entire texture, fully twice as heavy as ifcharred or carbonized, and possessed of new qualities adapting it foruse either as fuel or kindling, for the preparation of superiorgunpowder charcoal, and, by reason of the development'ot color and theperfection of the seasoning,

.to the manufacturer of cabinet-ware and-as imitations a stronger andmore intense fuel than wood merely desiccated by the ordinary methods.

In the process of preparing the wood as hereinbcfore described, theacetic acid which the wood is capable of yielding is developed andextracted to any desired extent, and I contemplate saving and utilizingit.

pense of the treatment of the wood, and reduces the cost of the productsto a figure which facilitates their introduction into general use'atreasonableprices.

The saving of the acid, however, though important, is not anindispensable part of the preparation of the wood, except in an economicpoint of view.

To render the kindling or tinder-wood, prepared by this process lessaccessible to moisture, and insure the utmost inflammability under allcircumstances, I propose to protect it by the application of rosin, as athin coating or otherwise.

' Having thus described my invention,

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, in-

1. As a new article of manufacture, wood, browned or darkened throughoutthe grain for kindling or fuel, said article, which Icall tinder-wood,being produced by the treatment hereinbefore described.

2. Tinder-wood or kindling prepared as described, and protected fromaccess of moisture, and having its infiammability enhanced by theapplication of rosin as a coating or otherwise as set forth.

3. Small wood, prepared as described, to be used as an improvement inthe manufacture of gunpowder charcoal, as stated.

4. Imitation woods, prepared and colored by the process hereinbeforespecified, for use in the manufacture of cabinet-ware and for otherconstructive purposes. 1

5. The saving and utilizing of acetic acid developed from wood duringthe process of treating it as described, for the purposes specified.

The above specification of my said invention signed and witnessed atWashington this 26th day of January, A. D. 1870.

THEODORE SCHWARTZ.

Witnesses:

A. O. BRADLEY, (Jr-ms. F. STANSBURY.

Its pecuniary value goes far toward meeting the ex-

